Meet Megan Berger | First Responder & Human Trafficking Survivor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Megan Berger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Having survived human trafficking and near death experiences, I have a very tumultuous relationship with the concept of risk. I took a risk with my safety to leave my trafficker, because the risk was worth the reward of freedom. In the years after, I sought high adrenaline jobs such as doing fugitive recovery work or filming fires “up close and personal”, some may have called this reckless, especially those in my life who cared about my safety.

Over time I was groomed into situations that got more and more dangerous and I was made to feel okay about it. So now what people perceive as dangerous I may not, because I look at it in comparison to other situations I have been in, that other people could not fathom.

Over time I learned to have a higher sense of self preservation and the risks I have taken have been different. They have been emotional and career risks. I have left jobs behind because I was not 100% happy and tried new things. Somethings did not work out and were not a right fit for me, and some were. I think the idea of job longevity is old fashion and “hating your job” has become way too normalized.

I also took a risk of telling my story publicly, and deciding to have my story published, knowing that it may hurt some people in my life to hear about what hapened, but knowing that it will do a greater good in educating the community, and since I have made my story public, it has opened up doors of opportunity for me to educate others.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a first responder and crisis worker in Sonoma County, a business owner, and a student of criminal law and juvenile Justice, set to obtain my associates degree in 2024 with intention to transfer to a state university. I also serve on the board of directors for Redemption House of the Bay Area, a nonprofit that runs a multifaceted program assisting survivors of human trafficking.

I decided to become a first responder after experiencing abuse as a child, being part of the foster care system, and labor trafficking in the black market marijuana industry for five and a half years as a young adult. I saw how I fell through the cracks in the system after multiple visits to hospitals and multiple interactions with health care workers and law enforcement that did not result in identification of human trafficking. So I decided to become a part of making improvements to the system to help other victims and educate other first responders and health care workers.

I do public speaking, presentations and works to educate the community on human trafficking in their neighborhoods and local industries with a focus on training law enforcement to investigate human trafficking with a trauma informed approach.

In 2022, I received a recognition award from the arch diocese of San Francisco and was featured in a documentary in 2022 about surviving sexual assault.

In 2023, I received a scholarship from the Buress Law firm in Texas for my work in the criminal Justice system, and will also be published in an anthology this year about surviving human trafficking.

I strive to live a life that demonstrates what survivors can accomplish when given the tools to succeed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a fan of the Outdoors. I would take them shark or stingray fishing off the water in Sausalito, or hiking at Armstrong Woods preserve in Forestville. There are so many dining choice here as I live in wine country. For breakfast I would either to go Cafe Mimosa which is local and family owned, or Marvin’s in Cotati. For lunch I we could take our pick of one of the many delicious food trucks on Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa, and for dinner it’s Haku Sushi in Santa Rosa hands down. We could also get fancy at the Tides Restaraunt in Bodega Bay and see where Alfred Hitchcock filmed “The Birds”

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Redemption House of the Bay Area has been a source of peer support through my healing journey and showed my not just how to survive, but thrive.

RedemptionHouseoftheBayArea.org

Website: https://linktr.ee/emtfra

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbcalifornia/